Wildcat

/ˈwaɪldˌkæt/ · noun

Meaning

A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:.

Definitions by Sense

1. A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:
2. (figurative) A person who acts like a wildcat, (usually) a violent and easily-angered person or a sexually vigorous one.
3. (American football) An offensive formation with an unbalanced line and a snap directly to the running back rather than the quarterback.
4. (nautical) A wheel that can be adjusted so as to revolve either with or on the shaft of a capstan.
5. (firearms) Clipping of wildcat cartridge.
6. (uncommon) Clipping of wildcat strike (“a strike undertaken without authorization from the relevant trade union”).
7. (obsolete) Clipping of wildcat money (“notes issued by a wildcat bank”).
8. (usually derogatory) Of or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, especially:

Example Sentences

2002 September 26, The Young and the Restless Anyone who's man enough to have landed a wildcat like you had to be quite a guy.

Then the development of the home country was neglected for some wildcat idea of bringing up the backward people of other lands.

[…] the Tank being a small arena theatre located out between a traffic analysis firm and a wildcat transistor outfit that hadn't been there last year and wouldn't be this coming but meanwhile was underselling even the Japanese and hauling in loot by the steamshovelful.

2003 June 15, CNN Jewish settlers have also been active putting up five new wildcat outposts on hilltops in the West Bank to try to thwart their Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

You'd have to be very rich or very desperate to go wildcatting that far east.

His pitch was that fracking had transformed the production of gas from a hit-or-miss proposition to one that operated with an on and off switch. It was manufacturing, not wildcatting.

Synonyms for wildcat

Antonyms for wildcat

Related Words

Word Forms

• wildcats
• wild-cat
• wild cat
• wildcatting
• wildcatted

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions